An exciting day ahead of us

 

 
Is it familiar when you can't sleep because you're so excited of something? This is how I felt the night before leaving Kandy to visit the Elephant Orphanage in Pinnawala. I did not left dissapointed, but let's start from the beginning.

The Pinnawala - Kandy route is about 45 kilometers, 1 hour 20 minutes in Sri Lankan terms. It's incredibly hard to get out of the city (think of rush hour 24/7) but once you out breathtaking landscape will surround you.

It's incredible how often and how quickly the landscape changes in this tiny country and to say beautiful, is an understatement.

If you have the chance to stop on the road, definitely take advantage of it, there is nothing better than the morning sunshine, a good coconut water bought on the road...and the view.

on the way to the elephant orphanage in Pinnawala / Central Province, Sri Lanka

A little background

 
There is a big accent on the elephant in Buddhism and Hindu and it also plays a big part as a symbol of the Sri Lankan culture.

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The elephant orphanage in Pinnawala it is what it sounds, it was founded to protect the orphaned, wounded elephants of this island. There are many elephants in the country, a good indication, on the route between Ella and the coast, for kilometers there were huge protective fences built to protect the elephants from the traffic.

Pinnawala is inhabited by a huge elephant population and while it's hard to accept some of them live in captivity - in my opinion no animal should live in captivity - we need to understand how many orphaned or wounded elephants were saved because of the Elephant Orphanage.

The downside of elephants or any animals living in captivity, they will depend on their captives when they reach adulthood, so they can't go back to the wild as they wouldn't survive.

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Oh hello, gentle giants!

 
We finally arrived...but, missed the feeding. Later on it turned out that was one of the most fortunate moment of the day. The elephant orphanage situated on both side of the main road, so if you don't have a local who could tip you where to go, make sure to pop over the other part of the orphanage accross the road, because that is where the party is on.

When you pass the ticket entrance, you get to their feeding and sleeping area, that is where the elephants spend their morning.

And as I said before, I was 'fortunate enough' to miss the feeding, otherwise I would have never had the chance to take this picture, close up:

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Traveller tip / Elephant Orphanage

• You can get to the Elephant Orphanage by car, shouldn't pay more than 2500 - 3000 Rs, if you're in a group of 4 at least, it's definitely worth it. Tuc-tuc would also take you, but for 45 km's it's pretty expensive
• The entrance fee is 2000 Rs, make sure you keep the ticket if you pop down to the river, then back to the feeding area
• You can bath the elephants for a fee, but I passed that, so I don't know how much it cost
• 2-3 hours should be enough to visit the place (+ traveling there)
• there are many shops around where you can buy souvenirs, I've got a fridge magnet made from elephant poo!

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Water for the elephants

 
On the other side of the road, there is the river to where elephants are taken down twice a day for bathing.

Just beside the river, there is a hotel overlooking the whole bathing area. In case if you visit Sri Lanka and decide to not to go, or spend less time in Kandy, it's definitely worth to rent a room here. While I never experienced it since we stayed in Kandy, I can imagine the view in the morning from the hotel, looking down to a herd of elephants playing and swimming.

This is where the fun begins since you can get very close to them. If you lucky enough and they come closer, you can even pet them.

If you go down by the river, you'll have the chance to take some pretty neat close up pictures.

...or you can just do it from the terrace of the restaurant, above. Yes, and don't forget that cold Lion beer! :)

After the bathing is over, the elephants usually go back to the other side of the orphanage for the feeding. It's funny, this is when they need to cross the road, the traffic stops while the elephants pass. I remember, we had the same back at home when I was a kid, but you can guess...those weren't elephants.

On the way back from the river, you'll have the chance to pick up some cool authentic souvenirs if it's your thing, I am not a souvenir person (I prefer memories) but who could resist to a fridge magnet made by elephant poo? I certainly couldn't! :)

paper made from elephant poo which is then pressed and painted = nice souvenir

And finally, check this video out, I know it's not the best quality, I am rubbish when it comes to shooting videos:

I hope you enjoyed reading my post at least as much as I did writing it. If you did, don't forget to check out Part 1 of my Sri Lankan adventure which featured in OCD Issue #190, follow me and stay tuned for Part 3!

Best,

@anddak

All video and image content of this and all my posts were made by me, unless otherwise stated.
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